I had a blast filling this out last year, and nobody's brought it back this year, so I'll necro it:

Eleven shows in 70K 2017:

1. The best party you had this year. The show that made you lose your mind.Amorphis 1st set. Although I pretty much loved both to tiny bits.

2. The best performance.Going to give it to Avatarium for having both a great performance AND fantastic sound (because ice rink)

3. The most positive surprise.I hit up Stam1na on a whim and it was super fun. Also, no shirts on anyone.... can't lie, I appreciated it.

4. The biggest disappointment.As much as Kamelot put on a great show, I couldn't help but feel like I'd seen basically the whole thing before. They have a fantastic back catalogue that they left largely untouched with stage stunts, which I thought was really unfortunate.

5. Best female-fronted show.Therion, both times.

6. The best Cripper Award contender's show.I'm not sure we've settled on contenders yet lol. I'm going to vote Allegaeon, though I doubt they'll be in the final set of nominees. Worth staying up until Fuck You O'Clock for.

7. Which was your top band before the cruise, and how did it do?Amorphis, and I was really happy with both sets. Eclipse is one of my favorite albums, so getting to see the whole thing live was really special.

11. And other bands you couldn't put in the podium but still need to be mentioned (yeah, I know three is not enough)Haggard, Omnium Gatherum, Equilibrium (though their sound was pretty rough around the edges), Mors Principium Est, the three songs of Testament I saw, aaaaaaaaand Kalmah (even if they ran so late that I had to skip their first set to catch Pain)

1. The best party you had this year. The show that made you lose your mind.Anthrax's first set. They were my first metal show 27 years ago, and I hadn't seen them since. What an amazing experience.

2. The best performance.Probably Haggard in the theater. I wasn't too familiar with them coming in, and was completely blown away.

3. The most positive surprise.Trollfest was batshit crazy and a ton of fun.

4. The biggest disappointment.Draconian's ice rink show. I own two Draconian albums (Turning Season Within and Sovran), and they didn't play a song off either. Heike (? the female singer) was frequently entirely off key as well, and the rest of the band just looked...bored.

5. Best female-fronted show.Arch Enemy. I'm not a huge fan of their music, but Alissa is mesmerizing to watch.

6. The best Cripper Award contender's show.Allegaeon, if they're eligible. Witchtrap, if not.

7. Which was your top band before the cruise, and how did it do?Amorphis. The pool deck show was absolutely amazing, the theater set not as much (I'm not a huge fan of the Eclipse album).

7. Which was your top band before the cruise, and how did it do?Mors Principium Est. Minus some minor technical issues that weren't super noticeable from the front, they were everything I wanted out of them. Reclaim the Sun and Apprentice of Death solidly reminded me of why I love this band. Stained Class losing his shit when Andy fucked up (the one time) was also priceless.

8, 9, 10. Gold, Silver and Bronze bands, counting both shows.Gold: AmorphisSilver: Mors Principium EstBronze: Scar Symmetry (if their first set was not all bass, they would take silver. Their Pyramid Lounge set was something special)

11. And other bands you couldn't put in the podium but still need to be mentioned (yeah, I know three is not enough)Kamelot for their first set (it was still great), Pain (WAY better than anticipated), Grave Digger

1. The best party you had this year. The show that made you lose your mind.Allegaeon, Pyramid. The energy in the crowd was amazing. It was fun to watch.

2. The best performance.Haggard, Alhambra Theater. They sounded great from where I was on the floor. Made up for the sound issues on the pool. Also, them going into the crowd to play the guitar during Herr Mannelig was amazing.

3. The most positive surprise.Pain. Not a big fan of the band but they put on one hell of a show.

4. The biggest disappointment.Scar Symmetry to open the cruise. I was all amped up in cruise mode and it sounded like shit. Had to walk out.

6. The best Cripper Award contender's show.I'll say Allegaeon for now unless they get booted from the nominees.

7. Which was your top band before the cruise, and how did it do?Moonsorrow. They were very good both times. I enjoyed the Ice Rink show more.

8, 9, 10. Gold, Silver and Bronze bands, counting both shows.Gold: Haggard (the pool set was disappointing because of the tech issues but the theater more than made up for it)Silver: Allegaeon (only made it to the one show but it was just that good)Bronze: Pain (never would have guessed that before the cruise)

11. And other bands you couldn't put in the podium but still need to be mentioned (yeah, I know three is not enough)In alphabetical order: Avatarium, Kalmah, Moonsorrow, Nightmare, Powerglove

Gratch wrote:Eleven shows in 70K 2017:4. The biggest disappointment.Draconian's ice rink show. I own two Draconian albums (Turning Season Within and Sovran), and they didn't play a song off either. Heike (? the female singer) was frequently entirely off key as well, and the rest of the band just looked...bored.

They played two completely different sets with the first one containing newer stuff (including Sovran) and the second containing only older stuff. Heike was not on the boat and was replaced by Lisa Cuthbert who has been playing with them live a bunch in the last year. Also, I'm pretty sure she was reading the lyrics off of papers on the stage floor as she was constantly going down to the floor and flipping them over between songs.

1. The best party you had this year. The show that made you lose your mind.Allegaeon on Pyramid. That was crazy, intense and fun as hell. Honorable mention to Trollfest, I don't like them very much, but they sure put on a great party.

2. The best performance.Orphaned Land's pool deck performance had something really special about it (Maybe watching one of my favorite bands in front row, in the middle of the Caribbean has something to do with it).

3. The most positive surprise. Avatarium. Really loved both of their sets, the sound was great live. There's something mesmerizing about Jennie-Ann's voice.

4. The biggest disappointment.The sound issues on Angra's second set. They still gave a killer performance, but it was the Holy Land set, it was supposed to be almost perfect

5. Best female-fronted show.Nightmare on Ice Rink: They sounded great, and I was impressed by Maggy's voice.

6. The best Cripper Award contender's show.I'm going for GSO. Loved their performance, loved the sound, loved the glow-in-the-dark shirt.

7. Which was your top band before the cruise, and how did it do?Orphaned Land. I love these guys. The only disappointment is that I was hoping for two different sets, but still had a blast on both. I even got one of their setlists signed by Uri and Chen

Gratch wrote:Eleven shows in 70K 2017:4. The biggest disappointment.Draconian's ice rink show. I own two Draconian albums (Turning Season Within and Sovran), and they didn't play a song off either. Heike (? the female singer) was frequently entirely off key as well, and the rest of the band just looked...bored.

They played two completely different sets with the first one containing newer stuff (including Sovran) and the second containing only older stuff. Heike was not on the boat and was replaced by Lisa Cuthbert who has been playing with them live a bunch in the last year. Also, I'm pretty sure she was reading the lyrics off of papers on the stage floor as she was constantly going down to the floor and flipping them over between songs.

Ah, that makes sense then. Thanks for the info.

I missed the first set, sounds like I would have enjoyed that one a lot more. Lisa seemed entirely lost, which makes sense if she wasn't as familiar with the songs.

1. The best party you had this year. The show that made you lose your mind.I missed the Allegaeon set in Pyramid, but I did see the Trollfest ice rink show. Absolutely loved being in that pit.

2. The best performance.Amorphis on the Pool Deck. I just started listening to them maybe a year ago and the temperature/level of intoxication/quality of set/many other things just made this set flood my brain with so much dopamine it probably leaked from my ears.

3. The most positive surprise. Pain was much louder/brutal than I expected. I listened to them a lot in highschool/early college but have fallen away in the last 5 or so years. Loved the mix of old and new music and sound quality was good.

4. The biggest disappointment.Kamelot definitely wasn't what I expected. It wasn't bad but certainly didn't get me to rise out of my seat.

5. Best female-fronted show.Nightmare on Ice Rink I will have to agree.

7. Which was your top band before the cruise, and how did it do?Scar Symmetry. First set was exciting but not really remarkable. I met a hot Canadian though, so that helped. The second set was magical because of the intimacy and the shear number of awesome friends I was with (I think the travelling metal posse was 7 of us large at that point with 4 countries represented).

11. And other bands you couldn't put in the podium but still need to be mentioned (yeah, I know three is not enough)I enjoyed most shows I went to. The lineup this year was pretty new for me based on my usual tastes, so it was hard to straight out hate/dislike without context.

1. The best party you had this year. The show that made you lose your mind.Equilibrium's first set. I went absolutely fucking nuts during that show.

2. The best performance.Haggard in Alhambra easily. I don't think any other shows I saw on the boat I'd put in my all-time top 20. A bunch of really, really good performances but nothing special the way that show was.

3. The most positive surprise. Two here that I can't decide between. The first is Omnium Gatherum! I had a blast at their pool deck set, second most fun set on the boat IMO.

The second is Serenity. I liked Serenity before - had Codex Atlanticus in my top 15 albums last year but they were fantastic and probably the nicest people I spoke with on the boat (that I didn't know before). Fabio D'Amore, their bassist, was - in my opinion - the best vocalist on the entire ship. Dude has pipes.

4. The biggest disappointment.The fact that I missed both Striker sets :-(

I didn't really see many "bad" sets, per se. Cruachan's first set was a bit of a disappointment because of the crowd - I got so much shit spilled on me from people in the pit so that soured that a bit (but the performance was fantastic).

5. Best female-fronted show.Dalriada; only because I'm not counting Haggard as "female fronted"

6. The best Cripper Award contender's show.I have no idea how we're defining this. I've been listening to Dalriada since 2008 so I don't want to count them here. I missed Striker, unfortunately. So I guess I have to vote Allegaeon. I only saw the Pyramid lounge set and it was pretty solid.

7. Which was your top band before the cruise, and how did it do?Haggard. Best live band I've ever seen. They did not disappoint. Though Orphaned Land was a close #2.

11. And other bands you couldn't put in the podium but still need to be mentioned (yeah, I know three is not enough)

Cruachan, Omnium Gatherum, and Kalmah are three bands that I wouldn't regularly listen to their recorded stuff (Cruachan I listened to a LOT like 10+ years ago), but they were *great*. Orden Ogan played another flawless set - they've been perfect every time I've seen them. And Amorphis' first set was the third most fun I had (and they're one of my all-time favorite bands but I missed the Eclipse set because that's the only album of theirs I really don't like).

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1. The best party you had this year. The show that made you lose your mind.Without any doubt, Allegaeon @ the Pyramid Lounge. Those who were there know.

2. The best performance.That should go to Kamelot, any of the two shows which were very similar. I ended up hating them because of the last 15 minutes of the show which are terrible, stopping the music and everything... but the rest of the show is simply perfect (bringing Alissa onstage is a necessary part of this perfection).

3. The most positive surprise.Certainly Pain at the Theater. I missed Kalmah because I was having so much fun there. Great show!!!

4. The biggest disappointment.There's nothing this year I'd call a big disappointment, but certainly Kalmah was below my expectations. Bad sound and I didn't feel like going to their second set. Another minor disappointment would be Orden Ogan. Not that I didn't like their shows,which I did, but they need a singer who can perform much better than that on stage.

5. Best female-fronted show.Nightmare at the Ice Rink. Not that I watched many fremale-fronted shows this year anyway.

6. The best Cripper Award contender's show.As the contenders have not been 100% defined yet, I'll go for a safe bet: Striker.

7. Which was your top band before the cruise, and how did it do?Scar Symmetry. They kicked fucking ass. The first show could have sounded way better, but the second one has already become one of my top-3 moments on the boat ever. Here's what I wrote about it: I was on first row at the Pyramid set and I it was one of the best shows in my entire life. There was a sort of connection that I can't even explain with the guitar player, he came to me and hugged me at the end of the show, and thanked me for singing along every fucking song. All I could say was, dude, thanks to you guys for the killer show! I really, really enjoyed it.

11. And other bands you couldn't put in the podium but still need to be mentioned (yeah, I know three is not enough)Omnium Gatherum (great attitude, great setlists both times, too bad they played THAT late and I was almost dead), Mors Principium Est, Powerglove (it was real fun to see these guys), Therion (good job as usual), Pain (hell, that was a surprise), Annihilator (only caught one show but it kicked ass), Axxis (they are incredibly fun live), Moonsorrow (always great sound live)

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1. The best party you had this year. The show that made you lose your mind.Death Angel at ice rink. Really bad ass show. Probably would have said Trollfest otherwise, but I had to leave after the third song because there was an overlap.

2. The best performance.Carcass at the pool deck. I did apparently attend their first show as well, but couple of tequila shots that I was offered shortly before that were kind of the final nails to the coffin for that day.

3. The most positive surprise.I've always considered Amaranthe way too cheesy for my liking, but got to admit that they sounded really good on the pool deck.

4. The biggest disappointment.Cryptopsy. I was half awake during the show and man, did the singer even try to sing the lyrics, or was he just shouting random noises as they went along? Xandria was also kind of meh and even though Arch Enemy put up a great show, it confirmed me that I have kind of lost interest in their music for some reason.

5. Best female-fronted show.Avatarium. I'm not a doom fan at all, but gave these guys a chance before the cruise and couple of their songs really stuck with me so I ended up attending their ice rink show. It was a perfect way to calm down and relax in the middle of all the beer drinking and hell raising.

6. The best Cripper Award contender's show.Avatarium, if they're eligible? The smaller bands didn't really do much for me this year, so I ended up skipping them mostly. Saw glimpses of Saltiato Mortis pool deck show though, and it looked like everyone was having a great time.

7. Which was your top band before the cruise, and how did it do?Devildriver. Saw both sets, the first one from the front rows and the second one from further back (Chuck Billy was standing in front of us, smoking a big fat cigar during that one). They did well but got to say that I was a bit bummed to see that they performed pretty much the same set list both times. Also met Dez in day two and got a picture with him. Cool guy.

I also need to note the All-Star jam here. Aside from Mark stealing the show with his impromptu performance of "Hells Bells", the show was mostly a disaster. First, can we pick better songs? Songs most people actually know? Def Leppard's "Wasted", AC/DC's "Riff Raff", Judas Priest's "Grinder"? I know these songs because I'm a child of the 80s, but based on the crowd's reaction, most didn't. The three songs performed by Elize and Lisa were just a shit-show. Lisa didn't know any of the words, even to some of the biggest metal classics of all-time, and Elize singing Motorhead's "Killed by Death" in her sugary pop vocals was just absurd.

5. Best female-fronted show.

Nightmare. As much as I enjoyed Avatarium, I simply prefer Magy's pipes.

6. The best Cripper Award contender's show.

Allegaeon, Pyramid.

7. Which was your top band before the cruise, and how did it do?

Amorphis. Exceeded expectations.

8, 9, 10. Gold, Silver and Bronze bands, counting both shows.

Gold: AmorphisSilver: AnthraxBronze: Carcass

11. And other bands you couldn't put in the podium but still need to be mentioned (yeah, I know three is not enough)Avatarium, Striker, Death Angel, Testament.

General Zod wrote:I also need to note the All-Star jam here. Aside from Mark stealing the show with his impromptu performance of "Hells Bells", the show was mostly a disaster. First, can we pick better songs? Songs most people actually know? Def Leppard's "Wasted", AC/DC's "Riff Raff", Judas Priest's "Grinder"? I know these songs because I'm a child of the 80s, but based on the crowd's reaction, most didn't. The three songs performed by Elize and Lisa were just a shit-show. Lisa didn't know any of the words, even to some of the biggest metal classics of all-time, and Elize singing Motorhead's "Killed by Death" in her sugary pop vocals was just absurd.

For the first time in my personal 70k history, I didn't visit the all-star jam. When I saw the songs they were going to play, that was sooo underwhelming, I lost all interest. I hope next year they take a different approach with songs we all know and respect.

To be fair they where performing an entire album "Heaven Shall Burn...When We Are gathered " and it seems like half the audience up front on Morgan's side where Black Metal Trolls.As in people who just went to the show to be assholes ,the dude waving around the dido and others aren't exactly what Marduk would want to look at in the audience.

1. The best party you had this year. The show that made you lose your mind.I would probably say Axxis, the first set. I had no idea what to expect out of this. Such great energy. Lots of fun

2. The best performance.Maybe Grave Digger inn the pool deck

3. The most positive surprise.Draconian. A dude I was drinking with was raving about Draconian so I decided to join. I had nothing else to do at the time. My concern was that a slower tempo doom band might put me out like Katatonia did last year. Not the case. Really good show.

4. The biggest disappointment.Amorphis maybe. I like their music, ive never seen them live before then. They just don't do a whole lot for me. I didn't find the show as fun as it could have been.

5. Best female-fronted show.Amaranthe, I suppose. They turned out to be a lot of fun. Im considering going to their show when they hit up Toronto. They are the best pop band ive ever seen.

6. The best Cripper Award contender's show.Ghost ship otto octavius. Probably because that's the only cripper band I saw.

7. Which was your top band before the cruise, and how did it do?Death Angel. They did amazing as expected. Great song selection. Then again I don't recall if they played tight or what because I was in the mosh pit throughout both 45 minute sets.

metalmaciejmetal wrote:1. The best party you had this year. The show that made you lose your mind.I would probably say Axxis, the first set. I had no idea what to expect out of this. Such great energy. Lots of fun

General Zod wrote:Marduk, Ice Rink. No atmosphere, no stage presence, poor song selection.

you may be on to something. I'm getting bored of this playing an entire album thing. It was cool back when Megadeth did rust in peace (one of the best metal albums ever recorded) but now bands seem to be doing that for random albums. I never thought of Heaven shall burn as that much of an outstanding album. But at least Marduk threw in two additional songs to break things up. That's the problem I had with the current Mayhem tour.

deathmetalpat wrote:To be fair they where performing an entire album "Heaven Shall Burn...When We Are gathered " and it seems like half the audience up front on Morgan's side where Black Metal Trolls.As in people who just went to the show to be assholes ,the dude waving around the dido and others aren't exactly what Marduk would want to look at in the audience.

Well, that would explain why I didn't care for the song selection. I'm unfamiliar with early Marduk and can only assume it's from a rawer period. And to your second point, the crowd was in an odd mood. That said, the band did little to bring the material alive.

metalmaciejmetal wrote:1. The best party you had this year. The show that made you lose your mind.I would probably say Axxis, the first set. I had no idea what to expect out of this. Such great energy. Lots of fun

Hell yeah!! Axxis always means a lot of fun live. Love them.

I had no idea who these guys where before the announcement and made up their setlist to be familiar.They where totally awesome,not that I listen to them much afterwards but I recommend them to some metal fans who like classic or older stuff.I went to their first show and was blown away.The guitarist is great technical player,the singer high energy and James May on keyboards is great ,went to early pool show on Sunday and great start to the last day.

metalmaciejmetal wrote:1. The best party you had this year. The show that made you lose your mind.I would probably say Axxis, the first set. I had no idea what to expect out of this. Such great energy. Lots of fun

Hell yeah!! Axxis always means a lot of fun live. Love them.

I had no idea who these guys where before the announcement and made up their setlist to be familiar.They where totally awesome,not that I listen to them much afterwards but I recommend them to some metal fans who like classic or older stuff.I went to their first show and was blown away.The guitarist is great technical player,the singer high energy and James May on keyboards is great ,went to early pool show on Sunday and great start to the last day.

Their keyboardist isn't as much James May as he is Sideshow Bob. The band are great dudes too. I had a beer with them along with a discussion on the state of power metal in America. Interesting insight.

General Zod wrote:I also need to note the All-Star jam here. Aside from Mark stealing the show with his impromptu performance of "Hells Bells", the show was mostly a disaster. First, can we pick better songs? Songs most people actually know? Def Leppard's "Wasted", AC/DC's "Riff Raff", Judas Priest's "Grinder"? I know these songs because I'm a child of the 80s, but based on the crowd's reaction, most didn't. The three songs performed by Elize and Lisa were just a shit-show. Lisa didn't know any of the words, even to some of the biggest metal classics of all-time, and Elize singing Motorhead's "Killed by Death" in her sugary pop vocals was just absurd.

For the first time in my personal 70k history, I didn't visit the all-star jam. When I saw the songs they were going to play, that was sooo underwhelming, I lost all interest. I hope next year they take a different approach with songs we all know and respect.

Yup, my group skipped it as well. I like the idea of it, but they really need to pick better songs.

deathmetalpat wrote:I had no idea who these guys where before the announcement and made up their setlist to be familiar.They where totally awesome,not that I listen to them much afterwards but I recommend them to some metal fans who like classic or older stuff.I went to their first show and was blown away.The guitarist is great technical player,the singer high energy and James May on keyboards is great ,went to early pool show on Sunday and great start to the last day.

Their keyboardist isn't as much James May as he is Sideshow Bob. The band are great dudes too. I had a beer with them along with a discussion on the state of power metal in America. Interesting insight.

OK, so I guess I'm the only one who thought he was quite similar to Fabio Lione

1. The best party you had this year. The show that made you lose your mind.Allegaeon in the lounge cannot be mentioned enough. That show was INSANE

2. The best performance.I thought Amorphis' set on the pool deck was amazing

3. The most positive surprise.Saltatio Mortis by a mile. I know (now) they've been around a while but I'd never heard of them before the cruise, stopped to check out their first set on a whim, stayed for the whole thing, saw their impromptu acoustic performance later, ran into several of the guys around the ship and at other shows and told them how impressed we'd been by that first show, and they were all super nice and humble and just super happy to be there.

4. The biggest disappointment.Arch Enemy seemed to have a lot of sound issues in their theater set which made it harder to enjoy

5. Best female-fronted show.Honestly the only one that I saw more than a partial set for this year was Arch Enemy. Not by any conscious decision to avoid them, just the way the show order fell this year. I caught pieces of both Avatarium and Dalriada sets and liked them both too.

6. The best Cripper Award contender's show.Again, even though they've been around a while, I never knew about them before, so Saltatio Mortis would take this for me personally. Out of the 6 that were the 'announced' candidates before the cruise, the only one I saw a lot of was Dalriada

7. Which was your top band before the cruise, and how did it do?Tie between Amorphis and Mors Principium Est. For Amorphis I loved both their sets. Eclipse isn't one of my top albums for them, but they put a ton of energy into that show. Mors Principium Est I've never been able to see live despite being a fan for a LONG time so I was really looking forward to seeing them and they killed it both times

1. The best party you had this year. The show that made you lose your mind.So many options, but the combination of dancing crabs and crowdsurfers trying to repair the ceiling during Allegaeon's lounge set definitely wins out. The Canadian guy standing beside me losing his shit over the Rush cover was pretty amusing, too.

2. The best performance.Månegarm's theater set was magic. The acoustic bits and the faster folksy parts were beautiful for different reasons, and the members were engaging the whole time.

3. The most positive surprise.Moonsorrow. I expected to attend their sets and enjoy them, but I was just blown away by the impact of their live sound. It's ferocious and haunting at the same time.

4. The biggest disappointment.I didn't enjoy Ghost Ship Octavius' lounge set at all...I like their music, but the sound just wasn't there for me. Could have been more technical issues than anything else.

5. Best female-fronted show.Avatarium; somehow they managed to sound the best I've ever heard a band sound in the lounge. The intensity of the performance was just incredibly profound.

6. The best Cripper Award contender's show.See #5.

7. Which was your top band before the cruise, and how did it do?Carcass, and they were fantastic as usual. Such a combination of nostalgia and excitement during their nighttime pool deck set.

8, 9, 10. Gold, Silver and Bronze bands, counting both shows.Gold: MoonsorrowSilver: Cruachan (I have never gotten to participate in russian jigs, conga lines and river dance at a metal show)Bronze: Månegarm

11. And other bands you couldn't put in the podium but still need to be mentionedAvatarium, Omnium Gatherum, Saltatio Mortis, Vreid, Orden Ogan and Powerglove

1. The best party you had this year. The show that made you lose your mind.Allegaeon Pyramid Set

2. The best performance.Id have to go with either Allegaeon again or Pain from the shows I saw this year.

3. The most positive surprise.Demolition Hammer. I know a lot of people said they were good live but I wasnt sure if they would live up to the hype. God damn those two older guys can thrash harder, faster, and more insane than a lot of the younger guys that are just starting now.

4. The biggest disappointment.Alhambra in general but if I had to really pick...Kamelot's set. I have enjoyed every single Kamelot show ive ever been to but that set was rough. The band still gave it their all so outside of the sound issues it was a normal Kamelot show.

5. Best female-fronted show.NIghtmare. I missed both sets last time they were on the boat and when they played one of the eurofest we went to so I really wanted to try and catch one. DIdnt know they changed vocalists before they were announced but the Ice Rink set was awesome.

6. The best Cripper Award contender's show.Id have to go with Allegaeon if they are still in the running. Only caught a few of them this year but Allegaeons Pyramid set was just a blast. Cheers to all of the crowd surfers that continually repaired the ceiling

7. Which was your top band before the cruise, and how did it do?Top band in terms of really wanting to see was a tie between Mors and Pain. Both did two absolutely great shows. Id have to give it to Mors on this one because who knows when I can see them again. Im seeing Pain at PPUSA so I will have sky high hopes for that set after 70k.

8, 9, 10. Gold, Silver and Bronze bands, counting both shows.Gold: MorsSilver: Demolition Hammer Bronze: Death Angel - Nothing stops these guys from just giving it 150% at every single show.

11. And other bands you couldn't put in the podium but still need to be mentioned (yeah, I know three is not enough)Stoked to see Avatarium live. Her voice was just amazing, but her stage dancing is a little offputting Steph said she was doing the Elaine dance from Seinfeld and I didnt see it until she showed me the youtube.

1. The best party you had this year. The show that made you lose your mind.Hmm. I would say probably Anthrax pooldeck for the rowdiest hot tub (they made us stop crowdsurfing after that set), but I didn't pay attention to a single song. The best party that I actually paid attention to was Arch Enemy pooldeck. Not my favorite band, but good movement in the crowd.

2. The best performance.Going to give it to Avatarium for having both a great performance AND fantastic sound (because ice rink)

3. The most positive surprise.There was lots of bands that I expected to be good and were (Manegarm, Orden Ogan, etc), but I didn't know anything about Avatarium. I listened to a couple songs before and it didn't grab me, but man was their ice rink set ever amazing. Such a soothing voice and great stage presence. And I forgot, SALTATIO MORTIS. My brother in law ranted about them and I thought they sounded super dull on cd (and still do), but man do they put on a great show. The frontman is incredibly friendly as well, whether it's at kareoke or at the dinner table.

4. The biggest disappointment.Scar Symmetry ice rink. I didn't like the setlist, the sound was bad, and everything I heard led me to believe their stage presence was better than that. It wasn't BAD, but I wanted to love them and didn't. Equilibrium also - loooooove Sagas but it's mostly instrument kareoke, low stage presence, and another bad setlist. The crowd really only brought it for blut im auge.

Oh, and Draconian! Actually like the newer stuff, but the concert was sooo dull.

5. Best female-fronted show.Impossible. Avatarium, Arch Enemy, and Therion were amazing. I like some Xandria on cd but wasn't feeling their set.

6. The best Cripper Award contender's show.Saw Allegaeon pooldeck and didn't see what all the fuss was about. Hate to be a broken record but I'll say Avatarium.

7. Which was your top band before the cruise, and how did it do?Manegarm. I own a lot of their stuff and never thought they'd be announced. Perfect cherry on top. Unfortunately the pyramid is the pyramid, and on their alahambra set I was sick and had to stay sitting. I wish so much I could have mustered it up and been up front singing along but it was worth it to feel sick in the dark and just watch their set.

1. The best party you had this year. The show that made you lose your mind.Hmm. I would say probably Anthrax pooldeck for the rowdiest hot tub (they made us stop crowdsurfing after that set), but I didn't pay attention to a single song. The best party that I actually paid attention to was Arch Enemy pooldeck. Not my favorite band, but good movement in the crowd.

2. The best performance.Going to give it to Avatarium for having both a great performance AND fantastic sound (because ice rink)

3. The most positive surprise.There was lots of bands that I expected to be good and were (Manegarm, Orden Ogan, etc), but I didn't know anything about Avatarium. I listened to a couple songs before and it didn't grab me, but man was their ice rink set ever amazing. Such a soothing voice and great stage presence. And I forgot, SALTATIO MORTIS. My brother in law ranted about them and I thought they sounded super dull on cd (and still do), but man do they put on a great show. The frontman is incredibly friendly as well, whether it's at kareoke or at the dinner table.

4. The biggest disappointment.Scar Symmetry ice rink. I didn't like the setlist, the sound was bad, and everything I heard led me to believe their stage presence was better than that. It wasn't BAD, but I wanted to love them and didn't. Equilibrium also - loooooove Sagas but it's mostly instrument kareoke, low stage presence, and another bad setlist. The crowd really only brought it for blut im auge.

Oh, and Draconian! Actually like the newer stuff, but the concert was sooo dull.

5. Best female-fronted show.Impossible. Avatarium, Arch Enemy, and Therion were amazing. I like some Xandria on cd but wasn't feeling their set.

6. The best Cripper Award contender's show.Saw Allegaeon pooldeck and didn't see what all the fuss was about. Hate to be a broken record but I'll say Avatarium.

7. Which was your top band before the cruise, and how did it do?Manegarm. I own a lot of their stuff and never thought they'd be announced. Perfect cherry on top. Unfortunately the pyramid is the pyramid, and on their alahambra set I was sick and had to stay sitting. I wish so much I could have mustered it up and been up front singing along but it was worth it to feel sick in the dark and just watch their set.

1. The best party you had this year. The show that made you lose your mind.Cryptopsy 2nd set Ice Rink) - I had not heard a single note of Cryptopsy before this cruise, and somehow made it to their 1:30am set...where they proceeded to LAY WASTE TO EVERYTHING IN SIGHT. Also, the pit took up the entire ice rink floor and was one of the most insane things I've ever seen. Runner-up: Moonsorrow 1st set (because they opened with my favorite song, "Tyven > Sankarihauta" which I predicted on the cab ride over to the port terminal)

2. The best performance.Amorphis 1st set (Pool Deck) - a band I was very excited for, mostly because I was familiar with only their earlier melodic death metal material. Well we got a killer spot stage left right up close, and wow did they BLOW ME THE FUCK AWAY. I've been scrambling to find all the rest of their albums on vinyl since I've been back. So. Damned. Good.

3. The most positive surprise.Unleashed - how could one of the legendary old-school Swedish death metal bands be a surprise? Because I shamefully never really gave them a chance back in the day. I caught their Pool Deck (2nd set) instead of the All-Star Jam and man, did I come out on the winning end of that decision. One of my top 5 sets of the cruise, and they utterly CRUSHED the place.

4. The biggest disappointment.Over Kill - somehow a guy from New Jersey (me) has only managed to see 1/2 an Over Kill show in his entire life, so I was **really** looking forward to them. I got a good spot for the Pool Deck set (their 2nd I believe), and....meh. Set list was excellent, but the sound was REALLY bad and the crowd just didn't seem into it. Bummer. But they can't all be A+ shows! Runner-up: All-Star Jam - my god that was awful.

5. Best female-fronted show.Avatarium 1st set (ice rink), and it wasn't even close IMO. Lead singer Jennie-Anne Smith has PIPES, and an oddly appealing stage presence.

11. And other bands you couldn't put in the podium but still need to be mentioned (yeah, I know three is not enough)Avatarium, Carcass, Manegarm, Testament, Death Angel, Unleashed, Demolition Hammer, Witchtrap, Angra, Vreid, Einherjer, so many more. Bring on 2018!

1. The best party you had this year. The show that made you lose your mind.I hurt my leg a few months ago and it's still not fully healed, so I wasn't able to lose my mind and go into the pit this year If I was able to, probably Demolition Hammer's second set.

2. The best performance.Death Angel's first show in the ice rink. They fucking killed EVERYTHING.

3. The most positive surprise. Liking the second show of Anthrax as much as I did. I love their music, but I've never liked Belladonna's vocals, and the first/last time I saw Anthrax with him was a disaster. But on the second show, there was so much energy and the band was so on fire, I couldn't help but enjoying myself way more than I thought I would.

Ghost Ship Octavius in second position, they play a style a music I usually don't like, but they were really great!

4. The biggest disappointment.I wasn't too disappointed, but the delays and technical/sound issues messed up Testament's first set, and made me miss at least half of Devildriver's first set.

5. Best female-fronted show.I've only seen Amaranthe with a female frontwoman, but not sure if it fits: I guess the question is about a metal/music show, and what I saw was more of a peep show. A pathetic, atrocious-sounding peep show. I almost expected her to deep throat the mic several times.

6. The best Cripper Award contender's show.Ghost Ship Octavius.

7. Which was your top band before the cruise, and how did it do?Testament, and as said before, even if the first performance was solid, delays and issues spoiled a good part of it. But the second pool deck show was a killer, so all good in the end.

11. And other bands you couldn't put in the podium but still need to be mentioned (yeah, I know three is not enough)

Devildriver, missed most of their first show but the second was fucking furious. Dying Fetus, Marduk, still at the top of their game. Mors Principium Est, not something I would add to my playlist, but they're really good live.

1. The best party you had this year. The show that made you lose your mind.Allegaeon, Sphincter Lounge. The energy in that room was truly something to experience. Have to give an honorable mention to Angra, Pool Deck, as well. I crowd surfed for the first time, and it was also my first time seeing them after having listened to them for more than a decade!

2. The best performance.Amorphis, Pool Deck. What can really be said, they fucking killed it!

3. The most positive surprise.Saltatio Mortis, Pool Deck. We were just chilling in the hot tubs and decided to stick around, these guys were a more than pleasant surprise! They kicked a lot of ass, considering that we expected literally nothing from them.

4. The biggest disappointment.Testament, Alhambra. We had to wait HOW long for the show to start? I did like the way it opened, but the setlist didn't pull me in.

5. Best female-fronted show.Not that I caught many, but Nightmare's vocalist has a lot of power and I can't help but appreciate that.

6. The best Cripper Award contender's show.Allegaeon, Sphincter or Striker, Pool Deck. I'm actually kind of sad at the low numbers on Cripper contenders this year.

7. Which was your top band before the cruise, and how did it do?While Amorphis was my favorite band aboard this year, Orphaned Land I had eagerly awaited seeing live for more than a decade. They killed both sets, though I wish there had been more variation between them.

11. And other bands you couldn't put in the podium but still need to be mentioned (yeah, I know three is not enough)Jeff Loomis Ft Arch Enemy was pretty cool, Trollfest were a great post-beach tunes party, Haggard, Mors Principium Est, Omnium Gatherum.

1. The best party you had this year. The show that made you lose your mind.Therion at the pool deck. I saw nothing but as it was my last show, that I was drunk, I gave 200% of myself by moving as I can

2. The best performance.Saltatio Mortis at the Alhambra, they're simply blown me away.

3. The most positive surprise.Ghost Ship Octavius.

4. The biggest disappointment.Didn't have a disappointment this year.

5. Best female-fronted show.The only one I saw was Xandria.

6. The best Cripper Award contender's show.Ghost Ship Octavius.

7. Which was your top band before the cruise, and how did it do?Therion and I really enjoyed to see them again, even if it wasn't the best for Christofer with his neck, I suppose.